Things Happen For A ReasonThe brand new pastor and his wife, newly assignedto their first ministry, to reopen a churchin suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October

excited about their opportunities. When they sawtheir church, it was very run down and neededmuch work. They set a goal to have everythingdone in time to have their first serviceon Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,painting, etc, and on December 18were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19 a terrible tempest - a drivingrainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.His heart sank when he saw that the roof hadleaked, causing a large area of plaster about20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of thesanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning abouthead high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,and not knowing what else to do but postponethe Christmas Eve service, headed home.On the way he noticed that a local business washaving a flea market type sale for charity so hestopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tableclothwith exquisite work, fine colors and a Crossembroidered right in the center. It was justthe right size to cover up the hole in the frontwall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An olderwoman running from the opposite direction wastrying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastorinvited her to wait in the warm church forthe next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastorwhile he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to putup the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastorcould hardly believe how beautiful it looked andit covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the centeraisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor,"she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"The pastor explained. The woman asked him to checkthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted intoit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she hadmade this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastortold how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. Thewoman explained that before the war she andher husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.Her husband was going to follow her the next week.He was captured, sent to prison and never saw herhusband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;but she made the pastor keep it for the church.The pastor insisted on driving her home, thatwas the least he could do.. She lived on the otherside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklynfor the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on ChristmasEve. The church was almost full. The music and thespirit were great. At the end of the service, thepastor and his wife greeted everyone at the doorand many said that they would return.One older man, whom the pastor recognizedfrom the neighborhood continued to sit in one of thepews and stare, and the pastor wondered why hewasn't leaving.

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth onthe front wall because it was identical to onethat his wife had made years ago whenthey lived in Austria before the war and howcould there be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how heforced his wife to flee for her safety and he wassupposed to follow her, but he was arrested andput in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his homeagain all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him totake him for a little ride. They drove to StatenIsland and to the same house where the pastorhad taken the woman three days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights ofstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked onthe door and he saw the greatest Christmasreunion he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob ReidWho says God does not work in mysterious ways..I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed foryou today, to guide you and protect you as you goalong your way. His love is always with you, Hispromises are true, and when we give Him all ourcares you know He will see us through.